


a piece of peace, when i'm with you

by marvelleous



Series: you and me, we are complete [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergence, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-08 03:05:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11072763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelleous/pseuds/marvelleous
Summary: Being woken up with a punch in the face is not a pleasant experience. She raises one hand to her cheek as she opens her eyes, coming face to face with the culprit.





	a piece of peace, when i'm with you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [philindas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/philindas/gifts).



> happy birthday liz :)

The sun is already high in the sky when Melinda begins to stir, burrowing deeper into the cocoon of blankets around her. Though she loved winter and everything that came with it, especially the snows and frozen ponds, there is something gratifying about being able to stay in bed just a little longer.  
  
She closes her eyes, content to enjoy the warmth for five more minutes, turning on her side to face away from the window, away from the light coming in.  
  
Barely a minute has passed when her peace is disturbed, and none too gently either.  
  
Being woken up with a punch in the face is not a pleasant experience. She raises one hand to her cheek as she opens her eyes, coming face to face with the culprit.  
  
The giggling baby who is now happily chewing on the edge of the comforter.  
  
_Her baby._  
  
Groaning softly, Melinda forces herself to sit up, a smile forming across her face as her little Peggy begins to wave her arms and legs about, reaching for her.  
  
She rests a hand over the top of Peggy's head, stroking her fine dark hair, listening to her daughter's squeals at her touch.  
  
The other side of the bed is empty, a large body pillow placed there instead, and Melinda thinks she must have slept even later than she realised. With a soft sigh, she slips out of bed, shuddering at the cold on her skin as she moves her own pillow onto the other side of Peggy to stop her from rolling off.  
  
Her mission suit is no longer lying on the chair where she had discarded it the evening before, replaced with a familiar navy blue robe, and she shrugs it on, tying it loosely around her waist, grateful for the warmth the fabric is providing.  
  
Peggy is trying to cram her fist into her mouth when Melinda turns back, and despite the mess, she can't help but feel a different type of warmth, love and affection, as she fetches a tissue from the box on the nightstand and begins to wipe up Peggy's drool.  
  
Three soggy tissues later, she's all cleaned up, and Melinda lifts her up, adjusting the once again giggling baby on her hip as she moves to dispose of her rubbish in the bathroom trashcan.  
  
Peggy squirms in her arms and Melinda only holds her tighter, closer, having sorely missed spending time together in the past two weeks. Clearly, she isn't the only one, because Peggy balls a fist in her shirt, the other reaching for a strand of her hair, no doubt to try and chew on.  
  
"No," she chides gently, tossing her hair back before the chubby little fist can get a hold of it. While Melinda realises that pulling on their mother's hair is a habit that many infants share, she can't help but wonder if this particular trait had been inherited from Peggy's dad.  
  
Speaking of which...  
  
"Let's go and see if Daddy's made breakfast yet."  
  
Peggy gurgles happily, and Melinda brushes a kiss to the top of her head before moving to exit the bedroom.  
  
The wooden floorboards of the hallway are cool beneath her feet, a stark contrast to the carpet in the rooms, and she moves silently towards the kitchen, following the smell and sounds of cooking.  
  
The first thing she sees when she enters the room is that the dining table has been set, a vase of fresh flowers in the centre and Peggy's high chair set up at one end. Her gaze drifts from the decor towards the action, and she catches a glimpse of a pancake flying up in the air before landing back in the pan with minimal noise.  
  
Phil always did have a flair for the dramatics.  
  
She waits for him to finish, watching as he turns off the stove before making her presence known.  
  
"Phil, why was the baby in our bed this morning?"  
  
She smirks as he nearly jumps a foot in the air at the sound of her voice, an expression of shock on his face as he turns around, one that quickly morphs into a smile when he sees her leaning against the wall, watching him.  
  
"I figured she missed Mommy, and Mommy missed her," he finally responds, taking off his apron and setting it down on the counter before making his way over.  
  
Melinda meets him in the middle, adjusting her grip on Peggy as Phil pulls both of them into his arms, wrapping one around her waist, his other hand resting gently on Peggy's back.  
  
"I checked on her this morning when I got in," Melinda says softly, resting her head against Phil's shoulder, feeling his hand tighten on her hip, tugging her a little closer.  
  
"I know," he replies, and she smiles again, because there is no way he could have actually known, as he was flat on his back snoring at three in the morning when she finally arrived home after debriefing back at the base, and didn't stir until after her shower. She'd exited the bathroom in only her underwear, drying her hair with a towel and he was smiling sleepily in her direction. He didn't ask her how the mission went, she didn't ask him how the agents she had been training before her departure were faring in her absence. All he did was smile, and when she was done with her hair, she had crawled into bed beside him and promptly drifted off to sleep.  
  
He knows because he knows her, as she knows him.  
  
"Peggy wasn't the only one that missed you," he continues after a moment, and she turns her head to look up at him, feeling him look down at her.  
  
"Peggy wasn't the only one I missed."  
  
She tilts her head up as he leans down, and she's sure Phil is equally grateful that Peggy is too young to react to their displays of affection as their lips meet.  
  
It's soft and sweet and they both push for a little more, because it's been far too long. Melinda isn't sure how she survived before having all of this, Phil, their little family, something to come home to at the end of a hard mission.  
  
Not that leaving this each time something important in the world came up is easy.  
  
"Breakfast is going to get cold," Phil murmurs when they finally pull apart, and Peggy is starting to fuss in Melinda's arms.  
  
She soothes her with a gentle kiss to the top of her head, reluctantly pulling away from Phil so she can secure Peggy in her seat. She isn't surprised when he follows, hand hovering at the small of her back, and she needs him close just as he needs her.  
  
"I really did miss you," he mumbles against her hair, arms looping around her waist and she tickles Peggy's cheek with one finger as she leans into him, feeling his chest against her back.  
  
"I know. And you can show me just how much after we put Peggy down for her nap."  
  
She gathers from the way he gives her one last hug before heading back to the kitchen to serve up their breakfast, that's he's completely okay with that. 

 


End file.
